Page:A Study of the Manuscript Troano.djvu/211

Rh sometimes at least, che, "wood" in a general sense, or some particular kind of wood.

As the character shown in Fig. 56 is placed on spear-heads, evidently for the purpose of indicating the substance of which they are composed, or the character of the substance, it must signify "silex," or hardness, as contrasted with the wood or material of Fig. 56. which the shaft was composed. Whether Ezanab was the Maya word denoted, is not certain.

Fig. 57 is found but once in the Manuscript—in the upper division of Plate IX. As it is above the figure of an armadillo, I presume it is the symbol used to denote that animal, and hence that it is not phonetic.

Fig. 58 is on the neck of most of the vases figured in the work. Although very common in the written portion as a prefix or suffix to other characters—as shown in Fig. 59, where it is probably used as a pronoun or article—when found on these vessels I take for granted that it is the hieroglyph for u, the Maya word for "vase," as also for "month" and certain pronouns.

Using these, together with the day and month characters as a key, I will proceed to discuss the nature of the written characters, in order to decide, if possible, whether they are phonetic, and, if so, to what extent. That some of them are but symbols, as, for example, that shown in Fig. 57, cannot be doubted. It is also quite probable, as will appear in the course of our discussion, that a few are simple pictographs.

As the one shown in Fig. 50 is, in one form or another, of frequent occurrence in both works, let us compare these on the supposition that they are in some degree phonetic, and see what the result will be. Comparing with Landa's character for the month Pax (Fig. 60), we observe here the two broad perpendicular bars, but in addition thereto three little rings, or ovals, at the bottom, and a cross-hatched appendage at the left. The bars, it is true, are not solid here, but, as will be presently seen, this difference does not appear to indicate a difference in the signification.